SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
How to start the application process:
The application process consists of two parts: the first part is a web-based survey and
the second part is an application form in Word format. Both parts and all sections of
the application form need to be completed for the application to be processed.
First part: The web-based survey is used to collect information for statistical
purposes such as personal data (i.e. name, gender, nationality), contact details,
mandate/s applying for and nominating entity. The web-based survey should only
be completed once, i.e. multiple selection is allowed to indicate if the candidate is
applying for more than one mandates.
Second part: The application form in Word which can be downloaded, completed and
saved in Word format and then submitted as an attachment by email. Information
provided in this form includes a motivation letter of maximum 600 words. The
application form should be completed in English only. It will be used as received to
prepare the public list of candidates who applied for each vacancy and will be made
available to concerned parties, including through the OHCHR public website.
Once completed, the application form in Word should be submitted by email to
hrcspecialprocedures@ohchr.org
If the candidate is applying for more than one mandate, a mandate-specific
application form needs to be completed and sent for each mandate.

A maximum of three reference letters can be attached, in pdf format, to the
application sent by email. No additional document is required.

Application deadline: Monday, 28 July 2014 (midnight, GMT).

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed at a later stage.
General description of the selection process is available at
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Nominations.aspx
Please note that for the Working Group appointments, only nationals of States
belonging to the specific regional groups are eligible. Please refer to the list of United
Nations regional groups of Member States at
http://www.un.org/depts/DGACM/RegionalGroups.shtml
In case of technical difficulties, or if you encountering problems completing or
accessing any of the forms, the Secretariat may be contacted by email at
hrcspecialprocedures@ohchr.org or fax at + 41 22 917 9011.
An acknowledgment email will be sent when we receive both parts of the
application process, i.e. the information through the web-based survey and
the Word application form by email.
Thank you for your interest in the work of the Human Rights Council.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
I. PERSONAL DATA
1. Family name: Thomas
5. Sex:
2. First name: Edward
6. Date of birth (dd-mm-yy): 15Jan-65
7. Place of birth: Beirut
8. Nationality (please indicate the
3. Maiden name (if any):
4. Middle name: Boyd
Male
Female
nationality that will appear on the public
list of candidates): Ireland
9. Any other nationality: UK
II. MANDATE - SPECIFIC COMPETENCE / QUALIFICATIONS / KNOWLEDGE
NOTE: Please describe why the candidate’s competence /
qualifications / knowledge is relevant in relation to the specific
mandate:
1. QUALIFICATIONS (200 words)
Relevant educational qualifications or equivalent professional experience in the
field of human rights; good communication skills (i.e. orally and in writing) in
one of the six official languages of the United Nations (i.e. Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian, Spanish.)
Educational qualifications
I have a PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of
Edinburgh, 2000. My thesis presented a social history of law reform in Sudan.
It was written from the perspective of a colonial-era Sudanese political party
which became a post-colonial religious movement. The movement promoted
civil rights using a mystical and inclusive reworking of Islamic shari'a law. The
thesis examined interactions between shari'a and Sudan's statutory and
customary law systems, and studied the country’s different legal systems
through the group’s experience of courts and jails. It constructed a social
history of law and explored the limits of human rights activism in Sudan.
Communication skills
I have written three books on Sudan and South Sudan: on the history of law
reform; relationships on the borders between the two countries; and economic
and social history. I have produced articles, reports and papers on Sudanese
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
law, society and peace processes for think-tanks, academic journals and
mainstream media. I have lectured extensively and I regularly comment on
Sudanese affairs for international broadcast media, such as the BBC and Al
Jazeera. I have taught and presented in English and Arabic.
2. RELEVANT EXPERTISE (200 words)
Knowledge of international human rights instruments, norms and principles.
(Please state how this was acquired.)
Knowledge of institutional mandates related to the United Nations or other
international or regional organizations’ work in the area of human rights.
(Please state how this was acquired.)
Proven work experience in the field of human rights. (Please state years of
experience.)
I have over 12 years’ experience as a children's rights adviser for the
International Commission of Inquiry on Syria; for the UN Missions in Sudan
and Nepal; and for Save the Children in the Middle East. I worked on the
application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in situations of armed
conflict and peace processes. I drafted reports for the Human Rights Council
and the Secretary-General on child and armed conflict in specific countries. I
have practical experience of dealing with interactions between humanitarian
and human rights law in complex and contested situations.
I have worked on rights to freedom of expression in Sudan and the Middle
East for Article 19. I worked on the rights of women prisoners in Yemen for
Oxfam. I represented the Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union at regional
drafting meetings for the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons. From
2002-3, I worked on the right to food in Iraq.
I have worked as a political adviser for the UN Mission in South Sudan and for
the Secretary-General’s Panel on the Referenda in Sudan, and I have a good
understanding UN mandates.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
3. ESTABLISHED COMPETENCE
(200 words)
Nationally, regionally or internationally recognized competence related to
human rights. (Please explain how such competence was acquired.)
I am a policy adviser for the Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union, and
work as a human rights consultant, providing training and evaluation for
organisations in Sudan, and the Middle East. Between 2005 and 2014, I
worked on children's rights for the UN in Syria, Nepal and Sudan, setting up
teams to monitor violations of children's rights in situations of armed conflict
and its aftermath; in detention, and young people's political participation. I
worked closely with the Government of Sudan in ceasefire monitoring
committees in South Sudan and protection mechanisms in Darfur. I worked
directly with the Sudan Armed Forces Military Intelligence branch and the
National Intelligence and Security Service where such work could resolve
specific problems in children's rights.
I have also worked with OHCHR to develop protocols for victim and witness
consent, confidentiality and protection. Between 1999 and 2004, I worked for
Oxfam and Save the Children in policy roles in Europe, Central Asia and the
Middle East, working on children's rights, women's rights, prisoners rights
including death penalty cases in Yemen, disabled persons rights, the right to
food under sanctions, and the right to water.
4. FLEXIBILITY/READINESS AND AVAILABILITY OF TIME (200 words)
to perform effectively the functions of the mandate and to respond to its
requirements, including participating in Human Rights Council sessions in
Geneva and General Assembly sessions in New York, travelling on special
procedures visits, drafting reports and engaging with a variety of stakeholders.
(Indicate whether candidate can dedicate an estimated total of approx. three
months per year to the work of a mandate.)
I can dedicate three months of work per year to the work of the mandate.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
III. MOTIVATION LETTER (600 word limit)
I would like to apply for the post of Independent Expert on the situation of
human rights in Sudan. I believe that my education, publications, professional
experience and language skills equip me for the role. I have the requisite
independence, impartiality and integrity for the post.
I have a long history of connections to Sudan. I first worked there in 1986, as
a teacher employed by the Ministry of Education. I subsequently completed a
PhD on the social and legal history of Sudan. The thesis looked at different
views on shari‘a among law reformers, and at the limits of human rights
activism in the post-colonial period. For fifteen years after that, I have been
working in human rights in Sudan, South Sudan, the Middle East and other
also in Central and South Asia. I worked for the United Nations as the senior
child rights adviser in Sudan, Nepal and Syria. I set up monitoring teams
across Darfur and South Sudan to address grave violations of children’s rights
and to monitor the situation of children in detention. I drafted reports of the
Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, and wrote policy-oriented
papers on human rights topics, including: child abduction and consent to
family separation in conflict; child recruitment to military forces; transitional
justice; the death penalty in Islamic law; and young people’s political
participation. I worked closely with security forces and rebel armed
movements, where such work could resolve specific issues relating to
children's rights. I also worked closely with ministries, government human
rights bodies, such as the Commission for the Elimination of the Abduction of
Women and Children, and with ceasefire monitoring bodies and protection
bodies set up by the Government of Sudan.
During the past five years, I have worked as a freelance writer and public
speaker, specializing mainly in human rights and Sudan. From 2013-14, I
worked as research associate at the Justice and Security Research Programme
at the London School of Economics and Tufts University, writing a book about
the social and economic history of Sudan. I have published books on the social
history of law in Sudan, and the borderlands between Darfur and South
Sudan. I have produced papers for think-tanks such as Chatham House and
Small Arms Survey on peace processes and regional conflicts in Sudan. During
the 2011 referendum on the status of South Sudan I worked as the political
adviser for the Secretary-General’s panel on the referenda in Sudan. I have
also worked as an adviser, facilitator and evaluator for different human rights
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
NGOs in Sudan and South Sudan.
I believe that the Independent Expert’s role is most effective when it is linked
to a good understanding of the political dynamics of Sudan, the different
approaches to governance in the centre and peripheries of the country, and of
the country’s complex, overlapping legal systems. I believe that I have that
understanding: I have visited and worked in all but two of the states of Sudan,
and have conducted research in the central areas and the peripheries. That indepth knowledge allows me to assess evidence and reach independent
conclusions that can be defended in the face of direct criticism. Another key
element of the success of the mandate is the ability to be and to appear
objective in a country that is often starkly divided. I have a wide network of
contacts across the political spectrum, have presented my publications in
Sudanese and international forums with Sudanese officials as well as
intellectuals from different backgrounds, and I have a strong history of
engagement with the leadership of the government and the opposition.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
IV. LANGUAGES (READ / WRITTEN / SPOKEN)
Please indicate all language skills:
Mother tongue: English
Arabic: Yes or no: Yes If yes,
Read: Easily or Not easily: Easily
Write: Easily or Not easily: Easily
Speak: Easily or Not easily: Easily
Chinese: Yes or no: No If yes,
Read: Easily or not easily:
Write: Easily or not easily:
Speak: Easily or not easily:
English: Yes or no: Yes If yes,
Read: Easily or not easily: Easily
Write: Easily or not easily: Easily
Speak: Easily or not easily: Easily
French: Yes or no: YesIf yes,
Read: Easily or not easily: Not easily
Write: Easily or not easily: Not easily
Speak: Easily or not easily: Not easily
Russian: Yes or no: NoIf yes,
Read: Easily or not easily:
Write: Easily or not easily:
Speak: Easily or not easily:
Spanish: Yes or no: NoIf yes,
Read: Easily or not easily:
Write: Easily or not easily:
Speak: Easily or not easily:
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
V. EDUCATIONAL RECORD
NOTE: Please list the candidate’s academic qualifications (university
level and higher).
Name of degree and name of academic
institution:
Years of
attendance
(From/To):
Place and
country:
PhD, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies,
University of Ediburgh
1996
1998
MA, Hebrew and English, St Andrews
University
1982
1986
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
VI. EMPLOYMENT RECORD
NOTE: Please briefly list ALL RELEVANT professional positions held,
beginning with the most recent one.
Name of employer,
functional title,
main functions of position:
Self-employed: Writer and Researcher
Years of
work
(From/To):
Place
and
country:
2009 2014
UK,
Sudan,
South
Sudan
2010-2011
Sudan
Human rights consultancy: Children's Rights Adviser
for International Commission of Inquiry on Syria;
Evaluation of Sudanese human rights NGOs; Study
on social movements in Southern Sudan; Evaluation
of children’s rights programmes in Middle East.
Research and writing: Research associate, London
School of Economics and Tufts University, writing a
book on the social and economic history of Sudan;
produced books, studies and articles for United
Nations, Small Arms Survey, Chatham House and
academic publishers, on Sudan, covering human
rights, Islamism, peace processes, North-South
border.
Public speaking: Lectures to foreign policy and
academic institutions in the US, Europe and Africa;
broadcast analysis for Sudanese and European radio,
and BBC, NBC, Al-Jazeera and other TV stations.
Teaching: Directed Rift Valley Institute Sudan Course
on history, political economy, anthropology and
culture; presented human rights workshops for
DPKO, Myanmar NGOs, universities in North America,
Europe, Sudan and South Sudan
Political Adviser, UN Secretary-General's Panel on the
Referenda in Sudan
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
Political advice and analysis: Provided political and
media advice to the high-level panel; drafted all
reports to the Secretary-General; accompanied the
Panel to all meetings; provided guidance to the
Panel’s 38 staff on reporting.
Senior Child Protection Adviser, UNMIN
2007-2008
Nepal
2005- 2007
Sudan
Management: Set up and managed child protection
unit for UN political mission in Nepal.
Research and monitoring: Developed and
implemented a research plan for the unit’s 12 staff to
monitor the release and reintegration of children and
young people from armed groups; young people’s
political participation; and other children’s issues.
Reporting: Managed unit reporting, lead drafter of
reports to the UN Security Council on Nepali children
and armed conflict.
Representation: Represented unit to parties to the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Child Protection Adviser, UNMIS
Management: Set up and managed child protection
unit for UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, with 25
staff in nine offices in Darfur, Southern and East
Sudan.
Representation: Represented unit to parties to the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Reporting: Managed reporting; used reports to press
for accountability for violations in ceasefire
institutions. Lead drafter for reports to UN Security
Council on children and armed conflict in Sudan.
Monitoring, investigation and research: Developed
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
monitoring plan and protocols to investigate serious
violations of children’s rights; developed research
strategies on statutory and customary law;
abduction; sexual violence; military recruitment;
youth political participation.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
VII. COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY PROVISIONS
(of Human Rights Council resolution 5/1)
1. To your knowledge, does the candidate have any official, professional,
personal, or financial relationships that might cause him/her to limit the extent
of their inquiries, to limit disclosure, or to weaken or slant findings in any way?
If yes, please explain.
No
2. Are there any factors that could either directly or indirectly influence,
pressure, threaten, or otherwise affect the candidate’s ability to act
independently in discharging his/her mandate? If yes, please explain:
No
3. Is there any reason, currently or in that past, that could call into question
the candidate’s moral authority and credibility or does the candidate hold any
views or opinions that could prejudice the manner in which she/he discharges
his mandate? If yes, please explain:
No
4. Does the candidate comply with the provisions in paragraph 44 and 46 of
the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1?
Para. 44: The principle of non-accumulation of human rights functions at
a time shall be respected.
Para. 46: Individuals holding decision-making positions in Government
or in any other organization or entity which may give rise to a conflict of
interest with the responsibilities inherent to the mandate shall be
excluded. Mandate-holders will act in their personal capacity.
Yes
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
[HRC resolution 24/28]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
5. Should the candidate be appointed as a mandate holder, he/she will have to
take measures to comply with paragraphs 44 and 46 of the annex to Council
resolution 5/1. In the event that the current occupation or activity, even if
unpaid, of the candidate may give rise to a conflict of interest (e.g. if a
candidate holds a decision-making position in Government) and/or there is an
accumulation of human rights functions (e.g. as a member of another human
rights mechanism at the international, regional or national level), necessary
measures could include relinquishing positions, occupations or activities. If
applicable, please indicate the measures the candidate will take.
Not applicable
****
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